Majespecter
"Majespecter" (マジェスペクター Majesupekutā) is an archetype of WIND Spellcaster-Type monsters debuting in Dimension of Chaos. The "Dracoslayer" archetype hints at a relation between this archetype and "Igknights". Both are full-Pendulum archetypes containing a "Dracoslayer" monster (which appears to be a merging of one of its archetype members with another mystic creature) and Field Spell Cards portraying the surging of those monsters, both "Dracoslayer" monster and Field Spell Card containing a word with "P", written as "P" with a Furigana, just like how "Pendulum" is written "P" with the Furigana "Pendyuramu". In addition, while the "Igknight" archetype consists of Normal Monsters (no monster effect) that all have Pendulum effects, the "Majespecter" archetype consists of effect (all with effects) monsters with no Pendulum effects. Etymology "Majespecter" appears to be a portmanteau of "Majestic" and "Specter". Playing style When Normal or Special Summoned, the low-Level "Majespecters" have the ability to search for other "Majespecter" cards (including themselves). "Raccoon" searches for monsters, "Crow" searches for Spell Cards, "Fox" searches for Trap Cards, "Toad" lets you Set a Spell or Trap Card from your Deck, and "Cat" can search for any "Majespecter" at the cost of having to wait until the End Phase to do so. The ace monster of the archetype, "Unicorn", can return both an opponent's monster and a Pendulum Monster you control to the hand. However, it's a Level 6 monster, meaning it can't be Pendulum Summoned using only "Majespecter" Pendulum Monsters; other Pendulum Monsters are required. The Spell and Trap cards mostly have various effects that activate by Tributing a WIND Spellcaster-Type monster. "Cyclone", "Storm", and "Tornado" remove the opponent's field presence through various means, while "Tempest" lets you negate a Special Summon or the activation of a monster effect. "Majespecter" monsters Tributed this way can be Pendulum Summoned again for even more advantage. The other two "Majespecter" Spell and Trap cards do not require a Tribute, but have less substantial effects. "Sonics" doubles the ATK and DEF of a "Majespecter" monster for one turn, but at the cost of halving any battle damage it inflicts to your opponent. "Supercell" prevents the activations and effects of "Majespecter" cards from being negated, but only while you have a "Majespecter" card in your Pendulum Zone. However, it does allow you to recycle your "Majespecter" cards from the Graveyard, allowing you to recover "Majespecter" monsters that were used for Xyz Summons or recover the more commonly used Spell and Trap Cards such as "Storm". Additional Support * "Luster Pendulum, the Dracoslayer" - Allows you to destroy a Scale 2 in the other Pendulum Zone to search for another copy, essentially resulting in a free +1. Also gives you access to "Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer" to return problem cards like "Kozmo Dark Destroyer" and "Kozmo Forerunner" to the deck. It's also a Scale 5 which goes well in the deck because "Majespecters" either have a scale of 5 or 2. * Level 3 Tuners - Since the Scales of the deck's Pendulum Monsters are either 5 or 2, Level 3 Tuner Monsters can be Pendulum Summon for access to Level 6 and 7 Synchro Monsters. You can summon Level 9 Synchros with "Unicorn", but this isn't really optimal due to a shortage of Level 9 Synchro Monsters that work well in the deck. A competitive player's first instinct is probably to use "Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit" or "Genex Ally Birdman", but "Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice" is also a good choice because it continues to be of use even after it's used for a Synchro Summon. * "Majesty's Pegasus" - In addition to boosting your the ATK and DEF of "Majespecter" monsters, "Majesty's Pegasus" increases the consistency of the deck by allowing you to search for "Raccoon" and thus any "Majespecter" monster. If you have "Raccoon" in your opening hand, you can also gain free advantage by summoning "Raccoon", then tributing with "Pegasus" to summon another "Majespecter" from your deck. If you open with insufficient Pendulum Monsters but open with "Raccoon" or "Cat" you can summon the one in your hand and use "Pegasus" to summon the other from your deck. If all goes well, you should have the ability to complete your Pendulum Scale on your next turn. * "Pendulum Impenetrable" - Protects the cards in your Pendulum Zones from destruction or targeting effects. This is especially useful because "Majespecters" have no way to complete the Pendulum Scale with just one card unlike decks such as "Qli". Strengths "Majespecter" monsters can't be targeted or destroyed by an opponent's card effects, making them immune to popular staples like "Raigeki" and "Torrential Tribute". Also, "Tempest" is essentially a searchable "Solemn Strike", which is extremely useful against decks that rely on Monster Effects such as "Kozmo" or "Tellarknights" and is generally an auto-win in the mirror match if you open with it going first. "Storm" is essentially free monster removal that doesn't destroy, which is useful against just about any deck. Finally, the fact that the low level monsters search for things when they're summoned means simply Pendulum Summoning a bunch of monsters can result in pluses for days. Weaknesses Although the Deck can easily search most of their tools and have innate protection against card effects, "Majespecters" themselves have low stats, making them vulnerable towards opponents that can swarm with stronger monsters. As a Pendulum-oriented Deck, they suffer greatly if their scales are destroyed and are unable to re-set the scales (but do note: destroying their scales at the wrong time can allow your opponent to Pendulum Summon them right back, effectively wasting the resource you used to destroy the scale(s)). The deck is heavily reliant on adding cards from the Deck to the hand, as almost every "Majespecter" monster allows the player to search their Deck upon being Summoned. Using "Mistake" or "Thunder King Rai-Oh" will stop all effects that add cards from the Deck to the hand outside of drawing them, thus rendering those effects useless. Additionally, the second effect of "Masked HERO Dark Law" will punish "Majespecter" Decks by banishing a card from the hand each time they add a card from the Deck (only once per turn however). In order to activate their Spell and Trap Cards, a tribute is required first. Use of "Mask of Restrict" will forbid the Tributing of any cards, and will consequently disable all of their Spells and Traps. Their Spell or Trap Cards while formidable in keeping the opponent's Monster Zone in check, do nothing to their backrow, which severely limits their potential to recover if they face threats such as "Poisonous Winds", "Skill Drain" or "Lose 1 Turn" all of which can cripple the Deck entirely or other cards such as "Dark Contract with the Valkyrie" that can continuously destroy their backrow and Pendulum Zone cards, thus limiting their ability to return to the field or harass the opponent, or even the more deadly "Solemn Warning" that can stop their Pendulum Summon on the spot and make the "Majespecter" user to incur in a major loss, if their Summons are negated as they will be sent to the Graveyard instead (due to not being able to enter the field properly), leaving the "Majespecter" user with a hole in their defenses. Likewise monsters and Decks that are immune to card effects and/or targeting are the Deck's ultimate weakness since it renders all of their engine downright useless. Such examples include "Apoqliphort Towers" (though the newly released "Majespecter Sonics" can help alleviate this), the "Hazy Flame" archetype and ironically, themselves are immune to their own engine making them their worst enemy, aswell as the "Kozmo archetype, which can tag out with the pilots to avoid the spells/traps, Into ships that cant be targeted by majespecter's backrow. to a lesser extent the "Monarch" archetype whose support cards can block their Pendulum Summon and protect themselves against targeting. Recommended cards Category:TCG and OCG archetypes